Clinton

The Clinton Administration’s electric restructuring proposalreleased this week faced immediate praise and vilification bylobbyists and legislators. “I appreciate the apparent progress onthe Administration taking a position,” said Sen. Frank H. Murkowski(R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and NaturalResources. “But the devil’s in the details-and we don’t yet havethe details since DOE has yet to provide Congress with its specificlegislative proposal.” When that is provided “we can begin holdinghearings on their measure and the other bills before the EnergyCommittee,” he added

The Clinton administration finally unveiled its long-awaitedrestructuring program for the electric industry yesterday in aseries of meetings with congressional leaders, stakeholders and themedia. The plan, which did not include specific legislativelanguage, represents a pragmatic position that its proponentsbelieve has the best chance of forging a compromise betweencompeting interests to arrive at comprehensive restructuringlegislation, if not in this session of Congress, then “very soon,”according to Energy Secretary Federico Pena.

The Clinton administration will announce today a “plan” or “listof principles” for restructuring the electricity industry. “It canbe introduced as legislation. It’s written in legislative language.This is what everyone’s been waiting for,” said Bill Wicker, aspokesman for the Department of Energy.